nerdiversefandomcom-20200214-history
Kingdom of Gallerea
Gallerea is a nation located in the Eastern Realms on the continent of Pherosum. Location and Information Gallerea is located on the southern portion of the Eastern Realms. It is bordered by Thaleri to the west, the Holy Empire of Wilaria to the north and the Kingdom of Dromma to the east. It lays claim to roughly half of the inland Watermark Sea, sharing a nautical border of it with Thaleri. The nation a hereditary kingdom that consists of strong Akana worshipers. As a result they have a good relationship with the Holy Empire of Wilaria, although they do not outlaw alternate religions the way the Wilarians do. Their economy is strongly based on fishing from the Watermark Sea as well as the oceans and also lumber from the smaller woodlands within the nation. The current ruler of Gallera is Queen Anne Steward. She is a fairly competent ruler who tends to buck tradition. This has not endeared her to many of the other nobles in the realm but so far she has maintained power without any major internal incidents. Gallera has a very strong navy as well as an army that is well regarded for its pikemen and expert archers and a strict chain of command with harsh penalties for soldiers who disobey orders or procedure. Gallerea’s crest is a rampant lion on a crimson field. Queen Anne rules from Gallerea's seafaring capital Deena. Connecting the inland Watermark Sea and the Eastern Sea through its central canal, Deena is a fortified capital with ample land and sea protections and bustling trade routes. The Steward's palace sits in a central square with the main religious institution, the Temple of Akana, and the two most powerful guilds in the city, the Merchant Guild and Engineer Guild. Queen Anne has ruled for four decades, ten years of which alone since the death of King Thadius Steward. Since his death, Queen Anne has pursued investment in novel engineering projects. She has tapped the ingenuity of her people, who's main achievement so far has been the building of the canal linking the Watermark and Eastern Seas through the capital of Deena. Many think the real reason for the recent elevation of the Engineering Guild is its Guildmaster Thomas Toole. Rumors of an affair swirl. These rumors are not helped by the guild members themselves, most of them gnomes, who doubt the efficacy of a human engineer like Toole. Toole, however, focuses solely on guild projects, though no one knows exactly what those are lately. Queen Anne has also not neglected the economic engine of Gallerea: the Merchant Guild. Guildmaster Ethlan Antholothon, an elegant elf male with a haughty attitude, is considered by many to be the second most powerful person in Gallerea. For a hereditary monarchy, this rankles many of the nobles. Nobility and Major Settlements Gallerea is organized with a series of powerful dukes for each region. The second largest city, Portshold, is led by Duke Logan Eversheen. Portshold is a major shipbuilding city with a large agricultural center as well. Much of the arable land in Gallerea lies directly to the east of Portshold in the Freehold Farms, whose products are transported by land to Portshold and then by ship to the other cities around the Watermark Sea and through the canals into the Eastern Sea. Trade past Thaleri to the west is impossible by sea, as the Jagged Knife Sea is too hazardous to shipping interests. Duke Eversheen does not care if he steps on any toes, and many of the lesser Dukes accuse him of overreach in territory and attempts at influence. Searest is a rest and wellness town where many of the landed gentry and nobles retire in the warmer months. Much of the Kingdom's business is conducted in the summer months when Searest is populated by all of the most prominent nobles and citizenry in Gallerea. Lothanum is a contested city situated awkwardly on Galleria's border with Wilaria and Thaleri. A series of brutal wars were fought between the three powers over sovereignty of Lothanum over a century ago. After a decade of violence that destroyed much of the region without any one side being able to declare victory, the Treaty of Lothanum was signed agreeing to share jurisdiction of the city between the three Eastern Powers. All three agreed to rule via the three-member Council of Lothanum that dictates by majority vote. Each Power gets to select its member of the Council, and Gallerea's noble, although given the rank and title of Duke or Duchess, is often mocked by their peers for not having absolute power. After decades of peace, tensions are on the rise again in Lothanum as Gallerea and Wilaria naturally align more than ever before over their shared dedication to the Church of Akana. As a result, Thaleri has found itself more and more often on the losing side of 2-1 votes in the Council, and murmurs and unrest have been the result. The Queenswood is the largest natural forest inside the Eastern Realms outside of the Grand Forest. Many naturalists and historians believe the Queenswood used to be a part of the Grand Forest but was cut off sometimes in the distant past by a magical disaster caused by the Vaders. Nobles often taken hunting parties into the Queenswood looking for big game to take back to their halls as trophies. Many of the creatures and people living deeper in the Queenswood, however, are quiet tough and best avoided by all but the hardiest adventurers. To the east of the Queenswood lies Fort Steward. The largest permanent military installation in Gallerea, Fort Steward serves to protect Gallerea from attack by land by Wilaria and Dromma. The Fort was built over two centuries ago after a Dromman army snuck through the unprotected northwest border around the Mossy Dell and through the narrowest portion of the Queenswood and sacked Portshold. The royal family ordered the Fort's construction after Portshold was retaken and the Dromman army was forced into a very expensive retreat. Gallerea has not faced a surprise invasion since, as its other border areas are protected by a thick network of traders, and information is almost always available from merchants for the right price. The Mossy Dell is an expanse of rolling green hills that stretches for leagues from Gallerea into Dromma. Often called the Land of Endless Horizons, the Mossy Dell has fooled many travelers into complacency, thinking civilization lurks just over the next hill only to find another series just beyond. Home to many large birds and notorious for its bands of giants, the Mossy Dell is not for the feint of heart. This has not stopped many from venturing across those endless horizons searching for the ruins of a magical city that was said to exist somewhere in the hills millennia ago. Some traders holding powerful magical artifacts claim they came from exhibitions into the Mossy Dell. More common, however, are the tales of brave sons and daughters going into the Dell never to be seen again. To the south of the Mossy Dell is Tenby, a small agricultural town serving as the seat of governance for the Freehold Farms. It also serves as a trading post with interior Dromma and its inland capital Brno. The Freehold Farms are an oddity in the feudal system of Gallerea. The farms are held in freehold by families, which means that the peasants have exclusive possession to their ancestral lands and can will them to their kin. These are the only lands in Gallerea not directly (or indirectly) owned by the crown. The Freehold Farmers jealously guard their property rights, and no monarch or noble has yet challenged them without facing a substantial and costly uprising that resulted in a public and embarrassing failure. It has been several generations since any noble has bothered to try challenging the Freehold Farmers. The Duke or Duchess of Tenby often limits their substantial dictates to Tenby and serves as little more than a dispute adjudicator among the Freehold Farmers. Neath is a small port city in the southeast corner of Gallerea. It is the only other population center on the Eastern Sea with a port capable of hosting the Royal Navy. The population are mostly fishers, dockworkers, and younger sons and daughters of the Freehold Farmers who would not inherit the family's Freehold. Neath also has some trade from Dromma, though less than Tenby to the north, as Dromma does not have any major sea-side population centers. The Marshes stretches along the entirety of Gallerea's southern coast. To the west it also extends up to the Watermark Sea. The Marshes are warm, humid, and tropical, like all of southern Gallerea. They also serve as habitat for insects and reptilian humanoids. Traders are encouraged to stick to the major roads to avoid drawing the ire of the Marshes' less forgiving residents. Category:Emeron Category:Nations Category:Eastern Realms